Majority Whip Santucci Votes on Budget Plan that Delivers Historic Property and Income Tax Relief for Ohioans

Majority Whip Nick Santucci (R-Niles) today announced that the Ohio House of Representatives approved the conference committee report for Am. Sub. House Bill 96 –the State Operating Budget. The budget plan, which allocates funding for state programs and operations for the next two years, includes provisions that aim to protect freedom, family and fiscal responsibility – approving historic property tax relief for Ohioans, implementing a flat tax rate and providing a record amount of state funding for school districts. 

“This historic budget brings over $3 million to the Mahoning Valley, delivering critical investments in education, workforce development, and community revitalization,” said Santucci. “It lowers the cost of higher education, supports our workforce, and boosts funding for brownfield cleanup and site readiness—helping turn blighted properties into housing and economic opportunity. I’m grateful to the Speaker for the opportunity to help shape this budget as a member of leadership, and I’m proud to have worked collaboratively with my colleagues to deliver meaningful results for my constituents and our state.”

TRUMBULL COUNTY IMPROVEMENTS
This legislation delivers critical funding for essential projects in Trumbull County and the broader Lake to River region. These strategic investments will strengthen our local infrastructure, support economic growth, and enhance quality of life across the area. Key highlights include funding for the study and potential construction of an oil and natural gas pipeline spanning Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties; significant resources for construction and repairs at regional airports and military facilities, including the Youngstown Air Reserve Station and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport; and targeted investments in recreational assets such as Mosquito Lake State Park and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Stadium.

DELIVERING HISTORIC PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO OHIOANS 
Ohioans all over the state have called on the legislature to tackle rising property taxes, and members of the Ohio House are providing historic relief for taxpayers as soon as January 2026. The budget implements a process for schools that carry forward more than 40% of their general budget in unspent cash at the end of each year to be distributed back to Ohioans in property tax relief. District cash carryovers have increased year-over-year from $3.6 billion to $10.5 billion since tracking began in 2012. Utilizing carryover data from 2024, and assuming school district carryover amounts remain similar, the plan will save Ohioans over $2.5 billion in property taxes starting next year. 

A STRONGER ECONOMY WITH A FLAT TAX
Republicans in the legislature have continued to phase down the state income tax in recent years, providing savings for Ohioans. The new budget plan takes the top tax bracket down from 3.5% to 3.125% in tax year 2025 and down to 2.75% in tax year 2026, and into the future. The move to a flat tax makes Ohio more competitive with surrounding states, simplifies the tax code, and spurs revenue. 

BOOSTING FUNDING FOR OHIO SCHOOLS 

The budget prioritizes the education and well-being of Ohio students, ensuring that school districts are funded through the final phase of the Cupp-Patterson funding model. Ohio public schools will receive nearly $700 million more for public education over the biennium than they received in FY25. 

PRIORITIZING WORKFORCE READINESS AND HIGHER EDUCATION 

This budget makes a marked effort to prioritize workforce readiness in Ohio, investing in various higher education programs such as the Governor’s Merit Scholarship, the Choose Ohio First Scholarship, and an increase in the State Share of Instruction by 1% each year, helping lower costs for students at Ohio’s state institutions of higher education. 

REVITALIZING LOCAL COMMUNITIES 
House Bill 96 continues to invest in various state initiatives that help solidify Ohio as the best place in the nation to live, work, raise a family and start a business. The bill increases funding for Brownfield Remediation, provides funding for blight and demolition, continued investments for the All Ohio Future Fund, further expands the Welcome Home Ohio program, and helps address the housing shortage across the state through two new targeted initiatives designed to incentivize additional single family home construction. 

BACKING THE BLUE

This budget invests in supporting law enforcement and promoting public safety by providing $65 million over the biennium for local law enforcement training, $21 million over the biennium to support local costs of the MARCS program, which helps equip first responders to better respond to emergency situations and $27 million over the biennium for the Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center. Additionally, the budget includes $8 million to provide grants to small county volunteer fire departments. 

¿House Bill 96 now goes to the Governor for consideration.